In The End There Will Be Tears
by Vanessa Masterson
Summary: Ginny wants a bigger part in the war, unfortunately for her, she gets a bigger part than she could have ever imagined. Now she must choose between all she's ever known and concepts so new to her they make her head spin.
1. Much Apologies Please Read !

Okay, let's start this thing off with an apology.

I AM SO SORRY!!

Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to explain.

I started writing this story at the end of my second year in high school. I am now a freshman in college. Somewhere along the way, I finished writing the story and proceeded to lose the notebook it was written in. Smart I know.

Reading back over the story now, I still like the plot, and most of the chapters. But I want to stretch things out a bit, I realize things sorta moved a bit fast and The Dark Lord is too out of character for my liking.

So here is my promise.

I am going to go back, edit each chapter and then finish this story.

I will keep this story up whilst I am working and just replace the current chapters with the new ones so that anyone that still wants to read this doesn't have to go too much out of their way.

So as far as a time line, I propose that by the end of my Spring Break (March 14th, 2010) I will have at least half of the current chapters edited and reposted.

If you have any suggestions, or a "You Suck for leaving us hanging and I hate you" feel free to leave a review. I will read them and take them to heart.

My only hope is that when the story is edited and resubmitted and finished, it will have made up for a little of my dumbness in abandoning you.

~Vanessa


	2. Ginny Wants To Fight

_My sweet, this may be hard for you to understand because you have never known me, but please try to believe me when I say everything I've done is for the best. There were things that happened that I didn't have a choice in and things where my choices influenced more than I could have dared. Never forget that I love you and your father…well he was a nasty git, but that doesn't mean you should hate him. If anything, hate him for what he was, not what people say about him. Love always, your mother._

Across London, dusk set in reminding children that it was time to go home to their parents, to the safety of their warm bed where they could sleep away the night, ignoring what might be happening in the world outside their walls. The moon rose in the sky providing a guiding light and portraying calm that was most certainly not there. This was a dark time to be in London (or anywhere for that matter) and nightfall only meant it was even more dangerous for muggles and wizards alike. It was far safer to be at home with your family, in from the streets, in from where you could draw attention to yourself. For the Weasley family plus Hermione Granger and Harry Potter however, it didn't matter if they drew attention to themselves, they were already marked as trouble makers. Still it was best for them to be at home with the ones they loved, where they, and the wards surrounding their house, could offer protection for as much time as possible.

On this night, eleven sat in the cozy kitchen of the Burrow having a bit of a morale booster for the family. With the wizarding world at war, a war against an evil lord dead set on destroying all muggles and half-bloods, it was very easy for people to be in depressed states and not knowing who you wouldn't ever see again made it all the more important to stick together and visit often.

Of the Weasley clan, three (Arthur, Bill, Charlie) were on the "front lines" of the battles. They worked closely with the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix to secure intelligence about Death Eater activity and ambushing them every chance they got. The theory was that taking down the army would leave Harry free to attack the leader, the Dark Lord Voldemort. Percy, the third oldest, hadn't really talked to his family since taking his position as Junior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, he wasn't on Voldemort's side, but he wasn't really willing to help the Order either. The twins, immensely brilliant, but slightly immature enough to make jokes at inappropriate times, were technically considered part of the Order, but never given information or assignments. Ron, the youngest of the brothers, would be with Harry and Hermione on their quest, wherever it took them.

This left Ginny and her mother, Molly. Molly was technically not fighting, but she still was in plenty of danger. Her job was to make potions and food for Order members who were ill or couldn't leave their houses because of suspected attacks; Ginny was allowed to help with this part, but that was it. Molly on the other hand also had the task of delivering the care packages to the houses…which were subject for attack… Ginny still didn't understand how her mother could use the argument that she wasn't part of the war. Nothing mattered though, Ginny and Molly, and often times Arthur too had argued about Ginny's place in this war and what to do to keep her out of it.

Ginny, as a nineteen year old, who was more than of age and had finished her N.E.W.T. levels, felt that it should be up to her to make such a decision since it was after all, her life. No one else thought this way and so, without her being allowed to argue whatsoever, Ginny was told she was to stay at home (as in not leave ever) and help Molly make care packages. She was not to write to anyone nor was she to leave the safety of the house and its backyard. It was much like being under house arrest, though Ginny had committed no crime, and she pointed this out at every chance she got.

"But Mum! I got a near perfect score on ALL of my N.E.W.T.s! Why can't I do something more helpful?"

"Ginny dear we've been over this, you're much too young to waste your time fighting."

"I'm nineteen!! And how is wasting my time fighting any different from wasting my time in this house??"

"I don't know Ginevra but I much prefer that to the alternative of you being dead!"

"You REALLY think that I can't handle myself enough to not get killed? Why can't I even go with you, Mum? I'm a capable witch really! I was the head of the dueling club my seventh year!"

"Just drop it Ginny, you're not leaving this house, and that's final."

Ginny stormed off to the garden ignoring the shouts of her mother saying that she was in the middle of brewing a potion. It wasn't fair, and she was a capable witch. Ginny quite sure she could handle herself and do some good besides making potions, maybe even save someone. But no, she was the 'baby' of the family and of course the only girl so everyone seemed to think she was incapable. Well actually it was everyone except the twins, they treated her as an equal…too bad everyone else thought they were too immature to be included in anything either.

Standing at the shimmer that marked the spot where the protective barrier started, Ginny gazed beyond it yearning for her freedom. She knew she would do fine out there, she knew it was dangerous, she was well aware of how difficult it would be, but it didn't feel right to Ginny, not fighting.

'_What's stopping you then?'_ The voice whispered across her mind, the thought coming to a rest. '_If you wish to fight, and you know you can, then why not leave? The barrier won't stop you from leaving; you can be gone in minutes…_' That settled it for her, Ginny made her decision. She turned around and headed back into the house to apologise to her mother for ruining a potion and to get around to her other daily chores.

Later that night, when she was sure everyone had long since been sleeping, Ginny swung her feet out from under the covers and set about packing. Packing as light as possible, she quickly went through her clothing, grabbing some robes as well as muggle clothes, she flicked her wand shrinking them down to fit inside her old school bag. As a last thought she also grabbed a set of dress robes just in case she ever needed to blend in. Satisfied that she had everything she would possibly need from her room, she crept down the stairs being careful to check for sounds of someone being awake at each landing. In the kitchen, she put some of the newly made healing potions into vials and cast a cushioning charm on them so they wouldn't break in the bag. The last stop was the pantry where she put a stasis spell on some bread and cheese, and finally shrinking them down and into the bag they went. Escaping the house without waking someone up was easier than one might expect; during the summers at the burrow, the higher the room the hotter it was, so it was often that Ginny found herself taking a walk about the garden to cool down enough to sleep.

Once more standing at the shimmer, Ginny pulled her thoughts about her and carefully examined her decision. True it was dangerous, but she knew she could take care of herself. Her family might be mad, but they wouldn't keep her out, so if she ever got into trouble she could always come back...right?

"Gin? What are you doing out so late?" Two figures stepped across the threshold causing her to jump.

"What do you mean what am I doing out here, what are _you_ doing out here?" She relaxed when she saw that it was just Fred and George

"We were doing some Ugly Sabotage, considering we aren't allowed to help in the daytime." said George showing her one of the many Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products that they had.

"Ginny, is that a bag o' luggage that mine eye doth spy?" Asked Fred, attempting to take it from her

"Yes, and you're not going to convince me to stay. It's a waste of talent if I stay cooped up here, I need to be able to do something good. If you try to stop me I'll hex you."

The twins stared at her imploringly before sighing simultaneously. "If you really want to go we won't stop you, mind you don't tell anyone we saw you or mum will have our heads…where do you plan on going?"

Ginny was shocked, she expected them to put up a fight, "Oh, I um…hadn't thought of a place yet, I was just concentrating on leaving…" She blushed.

George thought for a moment, "How about Oliver's? He's hardly ever at his flat and he won't turn you in if anyone comes asking. Listen, you still have your D.A. coin?"

Ginny nodded.

"Carry it on you at all times. If you get into any sort of trouble, even if you just stub your toe, I want you to let one of us know and we'll come help you, okay?"

Again Ginny nodded, unable to form words. It never occurred to her how wonderful her brothers really were until she was about to leave them. Rushing towards them, she threw an arm around each of them and squeezed tightly. "Thank you so much, both of you, I love you so much and wish I could repay you somehow."

The twins squeezed back reassuringly, each slipping WWW products into her bag. "Just come back in one piece, we would hate to have to go on a vengeance spree."

The trio grinned at one another one last time and Ginny stepped over the barrier into her new life, losing sight of her brothers instantly. Thinking clearly of where Oliver Wood lived, Ginny turned on the spot and felt her way into the vast nothingness before reappearing directly on the door step of 76 Largo Lane.

~~~~~~~~~In~~~~~the~~~~~End~~~~~There~~~~~~Will~~~~~~Be~~~~~~Tears~~~~~~~~

Grasping the metal knocker on the front door, she rapped a few times and waited for an answer. After standing there for a few minutes, it started to drizzle down causing her to become uncomfortably wet. Ginny tested for protection charms on the house, finding none she did a quick unlocking spell and allowed herself to step into the room.

"Homenum revelio." The spell showed no one in the apartment but Ginny checked all the rooms just to be sure. She went through every room, making sure no one could sneak up behind her. Finally reaching the last room, the bedroom, she saw that her spell had worked properly. No one was here, so Ginny assumed Oliver had simply had late practice. She did a few simple concealment charms and settled in on the couch in the living room to wait for him to come home. After a few minutes however, it became clear to her that staying awake to wait was not going to happen. Checking her watch, she saw that it was well past two a.m. and decided to allow herself a little nap while she waited.

The cracks of sunlight across her eyes woke Ginny up the next morning, she started for a moment trying to regain her sense of where she was. Looking around, she realized nothing had changed since she had first gotten there which meant that Oliver hadn't gotten back yet.

In the kitchen, Ginny found a kettle and filled it with water so she could make tea while she decided what to do about the seemingly absent Oliver. Finding a calendar on the counter Ginny looked through it to see where he was supposed to be. According to his hand writing schedule, he had finished training with Puddlemere United two days ago and was due to have dinner with someone named Mr. Al later that day; which meant, naturally, that he would have to stop by his flat at some point at least to change clothes if it was a business meeting.

Ginny didn't want to miss seeing Oliver when he came back, but she also did not want to spend her first day of freedom cooped up in another house. Finishing her tea Ginny went to change her clothes and decide her action for the day. Slipping into neutral coloured robes and a matching head band to keep her hair back, Ginny settled on leaving a note for Oliver and not being gone for long. This wouldn't be hard to do; her course of action was to go down Knockturn Alley and inconspicuously follow sketchy looking wizards around to get a general idea of what the Death Eaters (or Uglies, as Fred and George liked to call them) were up to, that way she could decide where she was most needed.

Attaching a note explaining that she had been there and was looking for him to the refrigerator, Ginny went out the back door to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. Once more arriving at her destination with precision, she stopped by the bar to say talk to the barman, Tom.

"Hullo Tom, listen I need to ask you a favour, I'm um…birthday present shopping for my family, but if they know I've gone shopping, they'll look for their presents all over the house and spoil the surprise. Do you think that if anyone stops by asking about me, you could just pretend I never came through?"

Tom smiled at her with his toothless grin and nodded, "Of course Ms. Weasley, I used to have to go through the same trouble with my siblings, o' course I had a wee bit less o' them than you do."

Ginny smiled her thanks and hurried off to the back alleyway to the entrance of Diagon Alley, tapping the proper spot on the wall she stood back and waited for the bricks to finish shifting. Thankfully, she blended right into the small crowd with her grey robes and was able to move through the street without anyone stopping her to chat.

Near Gringotts, she crossed the street to the shadowed area that she knew to be the place she was never allowed as a child, Knockturn Alley. Down this gloomy street were shops for the dark arts and a popular hangout for those that supported the Dark Lord's cause. It was down there where Ginny would be able to do some good in this war, and so she cautiously made her way deeper into darkness carefully avoiding looking anyone in the eye. Stepping down a side street before she reached the proper shops, Ginny cast a glamour on herself so that her hair became a dark brown and her freckles blended with her milky skin so that to anyone that didn't know her, she was not recognizable as a Weasley.

Coming upon the first shop, Ginny peered through the window to make out if it would be useful to go inside or not, judging by the display in the window it was a potions supply shop and she would not know based off ingredients they were buying whether a person was worth following or not so she decided to pass along to the next building. This one turned out to be a book store so Ginny went inside. Weaving in and out of shelves, she ended up near the back of the store where she found a cluster of men talking in hushed tones on the other side of the shelf she was standing in front of. Pulling a book off the shelf, she pretended to be reading it while she stuck an extendable ear (a gift from the twins) into her ear and listened in on the quiet conversation.

"I don' know ter tell yeh the truf, they jus' mentioned the fact tha' if we was ter show up around six that day, there migh' be some fun ter be had" one gruff voice said excitedly.

"Where was it again, I'm not good with directions…" A mousy voiced asked. Ginny could tell this man was slow, but that was good luck for her.

"Burke park, it's a small walk south of here" said yet another voice, "but in case you forget, since its two weeks away, I'll stop by your place on my way and we can walk together."

"Thanks mate, dead helpful you are." The slow man answered back.

Ginny had heard enough to help her. She pulled the extendable ear out and stuck it back in her pocket. Replacing the book on the shelf, she turned to leave and nearly bumped into the group of men she had just been listening to.

"Hear somethin' yeh like missey?" The gruff voice belonged to the shortest man of the group, but he seemed to be their leader.

"I don't know what you are talking about sir, I was just considering that book there for purchase but it didn't have what I wanted so now I'll be on my way."

"Oh, I didn' realize that young witches straigh' outta hogwar's were keen ter know abou' blood rites." He responded with a smirk that made her blush.

How stupid could she have been choosing that book? "I was just looking for it for my….intended…"

The group laughed. "Is he into it then, your intended? What's his name, eh? Perhaps we know him. We could help you find what you're looking for, even give you a…" The tallest of the men looked straight into her eyes, "…a demonstration?"

Again they roared with laughter. Ginny, backed against the wall of the store could see no escape; the twins wouldn't get a message on the galleon fast enough which left her quick words that seemed to be failing her. "I um….I don't think…um"

The group moved closer to her and Ginny started cursing her decision to ever leave home in the first place.

"There you are Vanessa! I've just been to the potion supply store; they won't have any shipments of the veins in for at least another month." A cloaked man stepped into the aisle, clearly talking to Ginny. Though she did not know who he was, she was thankful for her savior, she smiled, "Oh hi honey, these men were just offering to help me find the book on the blood rites we were looking for, but I think I've gone through just about all of them in the shop." She stepped away from the wall, the men no longer pressing towards her, and turned to them, "Thank you for your help, but I really don't mean to be that much of a trouble, perhaps some other time them."

Finally past them, Ginny stepped next to the man who had rescued her and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Care to get a drink dear, I'm positively parched."

"Of course Vanessa," he put his arm on her shoulder, "we'll go next door. Good day gentlemen."

They left the store wrapped in each other like that and Ginny waited until they were in the safety of the fresh air to step away. "Thank you, you really, really saved me back there."

"Not a problem, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny gasped, "How…who are you?"

"I think, Vanessa, that we should go get that drink while we talk. I have a few things to discuss with you." The man wrapped his arm around her should once more and led the way into the pub that was near the book store.

Ginny could swear she knew his voice from somewhere, but she could not figure out where…

Inside the pub it was so smoky Ginny could hardly see from one table to the next and was grateful the man next to her knew where he was going, lest she get lost. They stopped by the bar and ordered two drinks, Ginny did not know what he called hers but she did not plan on drinking anyway. In a secluded corner they sat down, here the smoke was so dense she could not see anything but the actual table and its seats.

"If you remove your glamour than I shall remove mine." He said simply and considering he had already known who she was she saw no harm in doing so.

Pulling back his hood and with a quick flourish of his wand, her escort turned out to be none other than the potion master, Severus Snape.

"Oh great…I suppose you're going to tell me how stupid I was, how dangerous this place is and how I need to go back home at once or else." Ginny said mildly annoyed.

"Would you rather I was a Death Eater that had rescued you?"

"Aren't you?"

"Harsh words Ms. Weasley," Snape sighed and took a drink of his glass, "Harsh but true. Beside the point though. As to your inquiry, yes you did act rather stupidly, but not as stupidly as a few of your classmates would have. Under the circumstances and the training you've had, I would say you perform aptly. It is indeed a dangerous job, but then most things are these days. Finally, no, I do not wish you to go back if you do not wish so. It is your decision how you want to live your life."

Ginny stared at him flabbergasted, "Seriously?!? I mean…thank you. And thank you again for saving me…I should have chosen a better book to pretend to have read, and I could have stayed 'browsing' it until they had left, but I over excited myself at the prospect of having a tip to go on and acted rashly."

Snape studied her face for a while and nodded, "You have a level head on your shoulders, I trust you to use it more wisely in the future. As to the matter at hand, I did not bring you into this pub simply to share a drink. I cannot currently make contact with the Order and I have vital information that needs seeing to immediately."

Ginny's ears perked up instantly, "Of course, whatever I can do!"

"Oliver Wood, I am sure you know of him, was attacked when leaving his Quidditch training grounds two days ago. He was tortured for information on the whereabouts of the Order but gave nothing up. Unfortunately for him, this enraged the Death Eaters that attacked him and they left him within inches of his life. I cannot get close enough to him to tell much about his state but he is surely gravely injured if not mortally. If you apparate to him you will have minutes, if that, to retrieve him and make it out without being attacked. There are Death Eaters assigned to watch his body in case anyone from the Order tries to help him." Snape scribbled something on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table at her, "This is where you will find him, he will need many healing potions which are sold in Diagon Alley-"

"I have healing potions, I brewed most of them myself, but no one's complained of the quality yet…"

"Good that will simplify matters. Wait until the cover of darkness and make your move. I won't be there to help you again. As for the meeting you overheard in the bookstore, it is a dark revel and if you choose to go there, take every precaution possible."

"Yes sir."

Snape got up to leave, casting his glamour once more and pulling up his hood.

"Sir, how do I know that you aren't leading me into a trap? Most of the Order doesn't trust you after what happened with…the headmaster" She finished quietly.

Snape grimaced under his hood and said in barely a whisper, "I know they do not. I have no reason that you should either; I suppose you shall just have to trust your instincts."

Ginny nodded and replaced her own glamour as she watched him disappear into the smoke.


	3. I Can Do This!

At the flat that night, Ginny arragned the bedroom so that when (not if) she brought Oliver back she would have a ready space to work with. After going through just about every single spell she knew that could possibly be useful for the seventh time, Ginny went into the backyard once more. Pulling the piece of paper Snape had given her from her pocket she studied the instructions on how to reach Oliver. Not once since she had left Diagon Alley did she doubt that his words were true, if he had been lying to lead her into a trap he could have just left her in the bookstore, and so she was going to follow his instructions ill-advised or not.

Finally deeming herself ready, she focused on the information she had and landed at what looked like the edge of a forest. Taking a minute of her precious time to glance around and get a feel for the surroundings, Ginny crept closer to the clearing where Snape's instructions said Oliver would be. She didn't apparate directly to him so that she would not be caught in stunners before she even fully apparated. Within eye sight of the clearing, Ginny could see Oliver's body lying in the middle askew. Creeping up to the tree line, she caught sight of one of the Death Eaters that was foretold to be there. Casting a cushioning charm on the ground below him first, Ginny shot a stunner in his direction and he crumpled in a heap.

'One down, a billion to go…' she thought to herself sarcastically. Prepping herself, Ginny looked left and right around the clearing for obvious signs of attackers, and took off running into the centre. She was more than half way towards Oliver before the spells started coming her way. She threw up a shield spell with a non-verbal _'protego.' _

Running in crooked circles she finally made her way to Oliver's body and hurriedly scanned it to see if there were any curses on him. Not finding any, she laid herself over him and wrapped her arms under his to drag him upwards. Once they were in a mildly upright position, she spun with all her might concentrating hard on the backyard she had recently vacated.

During the day she had practiced apparating with large objects because she had never learned side-along apparition and wanted to be sure she wouldn't be splinching herself or Oliver. The only trouble was nothing she practiced with had a mind of its own to pull her from her destination, so she could only hope Oliver was either so out of it he wasn't dreaming or else he was dreaming of his home.

Daring to open her eyes, Ginny saw that they had made it to Largo Lane, just up the road a little ways from the flat. Checking Oliver over for signs of splinching first, she hoisted him up with one arm around her should and started half walking half dragging him down the road. She kept her wand in her hand in case anyone chose now to attack, but it was a quiet walk down the road. One neighbour was walking his dog down the road and was staring oddly at Ginny and Oliver.

"Poor bloke, had too much to drink, tried 'defending my honour' against a guy much bigger than him. He'll be alright though. Enjoy your night!" Ginny called after the man who shook his head and continued walking. Reaching Oliver's place, Ginny used her wand to unlock and open the door and staggered sideways to get inside. Kicking the door shut with her foot, she dragged Oliver down the hallway to his bedroom and laid him back onto the bed.

Finally able to catch her breath, she performed a diagnostic charm to figure out what needed her attention first. His right leg was broken as were a few of his ribs. In his lower stomach there appeared to be some internal bleeding and it looked as though he had a concussion from the large knot on his head. Making sure he was lying as comfortable as possible, Ginny began giving him various healing potions; a cup of skele-gro here, a teaspoon of blood replenisher there. To take care of the knot on his head, she performed a simple healing charm she had seen her mother use after many 3x3 Quidditch games gone wrong. His skin had scratches all over it so she used a lotion with herb of hellebore in it so close the wounds and prevent itching. Once more casting the diagnostic charm she was satisfied that she had done what she could for Oliver. All that remained was to wait for him to wake up and heal.

Getting to bed late seemed to be a trend with Ginny's new chosen life-style. Three a.m. and she was just settling onto the couch. With any luck, Oliver would be awake enough to be left on his own tomorrow night or the day after and so she would be able to scout out the area of the revel she had heard about. She floated into sleep with thoughts of plans she would need to make whispering across her mind.

~~~~~~~~~In~~~~~the~~~~~End~~~~~There~~~~~Will~~~~~Be~~~~~Tears~~~~~~~~~

After a quick breakfast the next morning, Ginny checked in on Oliver who was still passed out and then took a shower to wash off the mud from the skirmish. The hot water felt so nice that Ginny stayed in it longer than was necessary just loving the heat. After becoming too prune-like for her liking she got out of the shower and dried off. Since she would be checking out the park later that day, Ginny decided to wear some of the muggle clothing she had brought along; a light blue pair of jeans and a pale pink blouse with a blue sweater over it. Wiping a spot clear on the steamed up mirror, she set about doing her hair. Casting a drying spell on it she considered her options. If the men who were in the bookstore were going to be at the dark revel then it was probably best that she didn't have the same hair colour or style.

Tongue between her teeth, Ginny gave a small trim to her hair using scissors she found in the medicine cabinet. Now instead of long hair all the same length, she had shoulder length layered hair with bangs framing her face. Satisfied with the style she moved onto colour; trying blonde, she wrinkled her nose in disgust; she looked like a Hufflepuff. With another swish of her wand she had black hair with red highlights. This she felt made her look too much like a Slytherin, but she supposed that was the look to go for. Once more melting her freckles into the rest of her skin, Ginny felt she was satisfyingly unrecognizable from her normal self.

Out in the bedroom, Ginny heard Oliver stir and moan. Hurrying in to keep him from moving too much she found herself with a wand pointed at her face.

"Expelliarmus." And her wand was soaring out of her hand.

"Oliver be careful, your leg and some ribs are broken."

"Yeah, thanks for that. What do you want? I already told you I don't know anything about the Order of the Phoenix. How did you get into my house anyway?" Oliver seemed very angry towards Ginny and she could not understand why.

"Ol...it's me, Ginny." She said confused.

"Ginny…Weasley? Ha, you must not be a very smart Death Eater or else you would know the Weasleys a little better, they have red hair, the whole lot of them. Dumbass…"

Ginny stared and then realized that she had the glamour on still. "No, seriously…it's me. Fred and George suggested I stay here and then I got word that you needed help so I rescued you and healed you and stuff. I just have a spell on me that makes me look different, if you just give me my wand back I can change back."

Oliver laughed and then stopped because of the pain in his chest. "Sure, I'll give you your wand…after you prove you're Ginny Weasley."

Ginny thought for a moment and then remembered her second year, Oliver's seventh, "After the Quidditch match in your seventh year you got a little drunk during the party and sat in the corner next to me crying on my shoulder about how awesome it was that Gryffindor finally won, and how sad it was that you would never play for Gryffindor again."

He smiled and relaxed, "That was a great party…man Gryffindors sure know how to sneak illegal stuff into the castle."

Approaching the bed, Ginny grabbed her wand and undid her charms. "I was just practicing my glamour charm so that I can go around undetected."

"So…I'm assuming there's a story you need to tell me. Something along the lines of how we got here, how you found me, why you aren't at home…any of this ringing a bell?"

"You can't tell anyone I'm here, please! I just wanted to be able to do stuff you know?"

"I promise I won't, and you're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like, you did save me after all. But seriously…how?"

So Ginny told him how she had left, and how the twins had allowed her to. She explained what had happened in Knockturn alley, though she glossed over the seeing Snape but just explaining she had overheard the men also mention a Quidditch star being hurt in the woods. Ginny didn't think Oliver fell into the category of the few people who trusted Snape still.

By the time Ginny got done telling Oliver about the events of the past two days, it was time for him to take more medicine. Measuring out the amount he needed, she put them on his bedside table and left to make some form of food.

"Oliver, how's your stomach feeling? I'm thinking we should start you off with something easy, something soup like." She called from the kitchen, going through the cabinets and pulling out ingredients to make chicken noodle.

"It feels like it's been taken out kicked a couple hundred times and replaced upside down; soup is probably best."

After finishing the soup, Ginny poured some in a bowl and conjured up a tray to levitate it into the bedroom. While allowing it to cool down to an eatable temperature, Ginny checked over Oliver's wounds and vitals.

"Well the bleeding stopped, but it looks like some of the cuts aren't going to go away as easily as they should, they're cursed. There is a potion I could make though that should help. Your leg is messed up too, I would take you to St. Mungo's, but I don't think it's the safest place really."

"No it isn't, even the teams medics have stopped referring us to them. Just do your best Gin, I'm lucky to be alive. Just tell me straight..."

Ginny looked at him puzzled, "Tell you what?"

"Will I ever be able to play Quidditch again?"

Ginny laughed, of course that would be the one thing Oliver was worried about; nothing stops Quidditch. "I think you should be okay. It'll be a few weeks before you're able to move about again, but in the long run you'll be fine."

Oliver let out a sigh of relief and slowly started sipping his soup. After only a few mouthfuls, he wasn't able to eat anymore so Ginny gave him a dreamless sleep potion so that the other potions could work to their full potential. As she was clearing up his tray, Oliver grabbed her arm in a loose grip, "Listen Ginny...I know I promised I wouldn't tell anyone you're here, but not that I've thought about it, you really should go home...the war is no place for you...for any of us really..." He was cut off by his own yawn and fell asleep quickly.

Levitating the tray back to the kitchen, she started thinking about what he said. She was plenty capable. Sure she had only been gone a day before she ran into trouble, but she had gotten out of it. By pure luck of course...perhaps they were right. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this. But then, she had done spectacularly saving Oliver, hadn't she? He was safe and healing thanks to her! In less than fourteen days she would be gate crashing a dark revel, and she was damn confident that she would not hinder some Death Eaters incapable of harming anyone in the future, but getting out alive and kicking.

"I can do this!" Ginny shouted out loud to the empty kitchen and heard Oliver murmur in his sleep in the other room.

~~~~~~~~~In~~~~~the~~~~~End~~~~~There~~~~~Will~~~~~Be~~~~~Tears~~~~~~~~~

In the weeks that followed, Oliver never brought up what he had said and so Ginny took it to mean that it had been the medicine talking for him. She spent the days formulating a plan for the dark revel. First she scoped out the area disguised under the glamour once more and then spent some time drawing the area on a map so she could form a clear picture in her mind. She had started brewing the potions for Oliver's leg and cuts from the supplies she had stopped by Diagon Alley to barter for and even cleaned up his apartment a bit. Beyond all of this, she read over old Defense Against the Dark Arts books and practicing spells and counter-jinxes on pillows in the living room.

Four days before the revel was due to happen, Ginny was in Oliver's room reading over some books with him because he often got bored being confined to bed for so long. She took advantage of this by using his knowledge of other DADA teachers and their styles of defense to learn new spells properly. They had just finished going over a spell called the Schlagen Curse which caused the victim to feel as though quaffles were being thrown at them when a silver streak darted into the room. Ginny recognized it at once as the baby dragon patronus belonging to her older brother Charlie.

"Oliver, I'm in the area and thought I'd stop by to say hi. I have a question for you too. I'm on my way." Charlie's voice ended and the silence began.

Ginny and Oliver stared at each other, each having a silent battle in their mind. Finally Oliver broke the silence, "He's coming to see if I know where you are, I think I should tell him."

"No, please! I'll leave if you want me to, but I'm not going back home yet. I'm doing what I need to be doing and that won't happen if I'm stuck at the Burrow. Just please don't tell him I'm here." Ginny pleaded with her eyes before casting a disillusionment charm on herself and stepped into the corner.

Oliver tried to follow her movements but quickly lost her when Charlie knocked on the door in the other room and entered.

"Hey Charles, I'm in here, if you don't mind letting yourself in."

Charlie came around the corner and into the room, "Holy hell man, what happened to you, a rogue bludger or something? That shouldn't take too long to heal though."

"Have a seat, it's a long story."

Charlie sat on the chair near the bed that Ginny had recently vacated.

"I left a training session one day and was attacked outside the stadium. It was stupid on my part really; I didn't even have my wand out. A group of Death Eaters shot stunners at me and dragged me into the woods outside the grounds. I guess they wanted information about the Order, but I couldn't tell them anything because of the Fidelius Charm so they got angry, quite a bit angry in fact. Along with others, the um cruciatus curse was used a number of times...I think I passed out after a bit because next thing I know I'm lying all alone in the woods and it's all silent. I don't know how long I was there but it seemed like forever..."

Oliver trailed off and Charlie stared at him stunned, "Why didn't you call for help? We would have been there in minutes!"

"I couldn't move, just moving my finger was agony, I couldn't do anything but lay there and wait."

"Then how did you get home, why is this the first time we're hearing of this?"

Ginny held her breath, waiting for Oliver to give her away.

"An angel saved me." Oliver sighed.

"....pardon?"

"An angel...she rescued me from there and brought me home. I've been in bed ever since, in and out of it...she leaves medicine too, my angel. Very smart, knows what she's doing in any case."

Charlie stared at Oliver flabbergasted, "Uh-huh, and angel, and she delivers potions for you to recover...and you never thought to contact anyone, that this angel of yours could be another trap?"

Oliver shook his head, "Nope, I'm perfectly safe. I trust her, this angel, she wouldn't let me down."

While Charlie sat speechless, Ginny was having similar feelings. She was sure that any second he would just give away the fact that Ginny was standing in the room.

"I think you're out of your nut mate, one too many bludgers to your head. But that is beside the point...have you heard from Ginny lately?"

Oliver shook his head, "No, she's at the Burrow isn't she? She's helping your mom make potions. Why, haven't you been there in a while?"

"No, she's missing-"

"Missing? Holy shit, you mean Death Eaters took her? Those low-life jacka-"

"We think, well we're pretty, sure she ran away. She and mum had been having an argument...Anyway, if she stops by, or if you hear from her can you try and persuade her to come home? It isn't safe out there..."

Oliver looked around the room once more to try and find Ginny, "Yeah sure Charlie, I'll be sure to tell her."

"Thanks, and listen, be careful with this angel of yours, she could still be dangerous."

"Can do, Charles, can do."

Charlie left the room and soon they heard the sound of the front door shut. After waiting a few minutes in case he came back, Oliver sighed and sunk down into his bed.

"You can come out now."

Ginny undid her disillusionment charm and felt the usual sensation of a hot substance sliding over her. "Thank you Oliver, thank you so much."

"He thinks I'm crazy."

"You didn't give me away."

"If you're an angel, I'm a Cornish pixie."

"I really, really appreciate it!"

"I'm not sure he fully believed me with the angel story. He'll probably be back sometime in the future to check in on me and he won't be alone."

"Then I'll leave after Friday."

"I don't think you should...you're safe here."

"Oliver I'll be fine and you will be soon too, the potion will be finished on Saturday and then you'll be good as new."

"Thank you Ginny, for all you've done for me. You're the best almost sister a guy could ever have."

"If you're trying to get 'deep' with me to convince me not to go on Friday it isn't going to work. But I think your an excellent almost brother, just the same."

"Well it was worth a try...I think I'll sleep now, all this pretending to be delusional has made me exhausted."

~~~~~~~~~In~~~~~the~~~~~End~~~~~There~~~~~Will~~~~~Be~~~~~Tears~~~~~~~~~

The day of the revel arrived finding Ginny scurrying about the flat doing last minute things. She prepared a plethora of soup for Oliver and stuck it in his refrigerator so it wouldn't spoil. She tidied up the apartment as much as she could, cleaning and re-cleaning counter tops and furniture. Finally she had done everything she could so she forced herself to sit in a chair and go over her plan once more.

After some horribly slow hours it was time for her to prepare to leave. In case she ended up being followed and not able to come back to the flat, Ginny had decided she would shower before putting up her glamour. Fully aware that it could possibly be the last shower she ever took, she made every second last and so she was well soaked by the time she was done. Casting a drying charm, Ginny put on the black robes she had transfigured from the grey ones and cast her charm.

"How do I look?" She asked Oliver, coming out of the bathroom.

"Like a Death Eater in training..."

Ginny smiled, "Perfect then. Listen, if anything goes wrong..."

Oliver glared at her hard enough to make her stop, "Nothing is going to go wrong or else you aren't going. I don't want a goodbye speech."

"Alright fine, but there's things you should know anyway. I have too much of my mother in me not to tell you."

He didn't look happy, but allowed to speak nonetheless. "If I am not here to do so, for any reason, your potion needs to be stirred counter clockwise, removed from the heat and then the drop of dragons blood needs to be added. Then after four hours you can start taking it. Oh and there's soup if you get hungry. And yeah, that's about it."

"You can do this Gin, you'll be fine, more than fine I'd wager, quite awesome in fact."

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but all she could think of to say were things that sounded like a goodbye so she settled for fluffing up his pillow. Checking the time, she saw that it was time to go so she nodded at Oliver and made her way to the backyard. Turning on the spot, she apparated to the place she had practiced arriving at during the week. It was slightly away from the area that the men had mentioned, but she figured it best to not apparate directly there in case there was a trap.

Keeping her wand out, but not lit, Ginny followed the small path towards the woods before abandoning it for her own memorized path. Arriving outside of a large clearing, Ginny cast a silencing spell on her feet along with another disillusionment charm. Though she was hardly see-able, she didn't want to take any chances so she also gripped the base of a large tree right on the edge of the woods and started to climb. A fourth of the way up the tree, there was a thick branch that she could sit on and observe the clearing and have proper aim for casting any spells.

Down in the clearing she finally took in what was happening. There were many black cloaked figures standing in groups talking, but well aware that in the centre of their group were four muggles who were sobbing silently on the ground, looking terrified at the men around them. The sight made Ginny disgusted to her stomach but she bit her tongue and held it in. She was here to help them, she reminded herself. She cast a shield spell of the four so that once the 'fun' began they would be safe from most spells.

Surveying the crowd, Ginny couldn't recognize anyone in particular nor did anyone seem more important than others, this made it difficult for her to decide whom to attack first. Once she started throwing spells, the group would catch on and start firing back. To be most effective, it would make sense to take out those that were leaders there. Finally three men emerged from the opposite side of the woods wearing masks. Though their faces were hidden, Ginny recognized one as Lucius Malfoy, one of the worst Death Eaters there was. He spoke to the group in hushed tones that Ginny could not hear from her perch so she waited on batted breath for someone to make a move to cause distraction.

Out of the woods to the east, a red dart of light flew straight towards the mass in the middle and hit the Death Eater to the right of Lucius clear in the shoulder. Ginny had wondered during her planning if there would be any Order members present at the revel, but she hadn't dared to hope. The man that had been hit dropped to the ground fast and the others began searching the woods around them.

"It appears we have some party spoilers. Gentlemen, find our guests and invite them in, will you?" Lucius' voice was much louder now, as though he had wanted anyone watching to hear him.

The group fanned out in all directions to search the woods around them. More stunners came from the same spot as before, and then flashes of purple and yellow came from the west, meaning there were at least two Order members here along with Ginny to fight this mob. The sudden appearance of more spells caused some confusion down below and so Ginny took advantage and added her spells to the mix. Soon sparks of every colour were flying through the night.

Spells came her way, but Ginny could easily deflect the ones that even came close to her. Some of the more stealthy few were making their ways towards the directions that spells were coming from. She saw several make their way into the woods in the east and the spells from that direction stopped. A large group came her direction and she too stopped firing so that they could not see the angle her spells were coming from. They walked stupidly through the woods all around her tree, never once bothering to look upwards. Not able to spot her, they gave up and headed back into the clearing towards the west where the other shooter was.

Once they were far enough away, Ginny picked them off; one by one they fell face down onto the forest floor. The only two who were not fighting were the two Death Eaters that remained conscious. Taking the fact that no one was aiming specifically for her at the moment, Ginny steadied her arm and took aim at Lucius' wide shoulders. Deciding on a spell she had read about, the inferno spell, she let fly a glowing orange jet of light which flew across the grounds and hit its intended target directly where she had intended.

Ginny smirked when Lucius let out a roar of pain. "Back here, all of you. Now." Lucius barked his command to the men who were still left standing, an amount considerably smaller than had originated.

"Ah, lovely you caught two of them, bring them here." Lucius looked in her direction as he said this, clutching his pained shoulder.

From the east and west the men dragged two figures. Tonks appeared to be unconscious as they slid her across the ground. The other was a member of the Order, but Ginny couldn't remember his name, he was conscious, bound and gagged.

"Hartley, you worked for the ministry didn't you?" Lucius smiled down at the man as though he were a dear friend, "This is a sticky situation you have yourself in here. Are you afraid for your life?"

The man called Hartley spit out his gag and glared up at Lucius from the kneeling position he was now in. "If being dead is the alternative to living in a world run by your kind then I gladly accept my end."

Lucius' smile faded and turned to anger, with a jab of his wand and a flash of green light, Hartley fell to the ground dead. Lucius kicked him in the side with his boot and turned away to where Tonks remained silent on the ground.

"She's unconscious sir, some of the men went overboard with their stunners."

"No matter, _Enneverate_. " Tonks jerked awake and struggled against her bonds.

"Nymphadora Tonks, it's good to see you cousin. Tell me, how is that werewolf husband of yours?"

"What did you do with Hartley?"

"He got what he deserved for his cheek."

"I'll assume that means he insulted you in some way and you felt the best way to restore your pride was by killing him, right? Dear _cousin_ you should really get your temper checked out, it might get you into trouble one day."

Ginny was proud of Tonks, staring death in the face like that and still being a smartass. Casting the same shield charm on Tonks that she had on the muggles, Ginny starting shooting at the cloaked men once more. She took out a third of who were there before Lucius shouted, "Enough! If you continue this, whoever you are, the auror will be tortured before being killed. Give yourself up now; we'll make it quick for you."

Ginny remained in her tree but stopped firing. She could continue her course of action, but it was likely not only would Tonks die, so would the four muggles she had been trying to protect in the first place. Her only choice was to enter the clearing and duel on level ground. She could sever Tonks' bindings and create a portkey for her and the muggles. Finalizing her plan, Ginny jumped down from the tree and headed across the clearing, still disillusioned. Once she was next to Tonks, she took the first thing she could find in her pocket, a hair tie, "_portus." _Never having made a portkey before, Ginny created it based on the theory she had read back in her seventh year.

Undoing her disillusionment charm, Ginny faced Lucius behind her glamour covered face. "Hello Mr. Malfoy, it's been a while."

Before Lucius could attack, Ginny used _Diffindo _on the cords holding Tonks and threw her the portkey. "Get them and go!" She shouted at her and Tonks nodded springing into action.

Using every spell she knew, Ginny nonverbally blasted her way through the crowd gathered around her and it was nearly a full minute before they reacted. Dodging spells, Ginny felt as though she were doing a form of intricate dance. Gracefully dodging the attack of one of the men who seemed to have forgotten about his wand, Ginny was caught in surprise when the only spell Lucius had fired hit her squarely in the stomach.

"I believe that's the same spell you used on me you little bitch. How dare you?"

The pain in her stomach was unbearable and she let out a cry and doubled over.

"_Expelliarmus." _And Ginny found her wand flying away from her.

"Not so dangerous now, are you little whelp? We can find out who you are from Ollivander, he'll know whose wand this is."

The cruelty in his voice made Ginny shudder, she knew what was coming.

"You lost us our fun; I think it's only fair if you fill their place don't you?"

Ginny attempted to run, to get out of there, but before she took two steps she felt the stabbing pain of the Cruciatus curse all over her body. There was no fighting it, no way to make it stop. After what felt like hours, the pain subsided and she felt her muscles begin to spasm.

"Feel nice? How about another taste? You'll beg for death before we are through with you."

Ginny did not doubt this, and thoughts of her brothers flashed before her eyes as another wave of pain rolled through her body. Bill...Charlie, she had just seen him a few days ago...Percy...the twins, they had let her go...with a promise...

She remembered the fake galleon sitting in her pocket and struggled to control her arm enough to get to it. The pain stopped once more and Ginny could hear Lucius talking, probably insulting her more, but she concentrated all of her might on reaching the galleon and sending a message to her brothers. Fumbling with her pocket, she managed to get it out and held it firmly in her hand as yet another round of the torture curse hit her. She focused on her brothers and on where she was, she felt the coin grow hot and knew it worked. The only thing left to do now was to wait until help arrived.

"Well I've had my fun gentlemen, but you seem to have lost your victims, so do as you like with her, just kill her when you're done." Lucius laughed and walked away to the edge of the clearing, disapparating from sight.

Ginny felt many curses descend upon her and did her best to ignore the pain, but the edge of her eye sight slowly became dark and soon she joined it in the nothingness.


End file.
